Undergarment



Patented Apr. 29, 1941 UINITED STATES PATENT OFFICE UNDERGARMENT ErwinF. Rauser, Milwaukee, Wis.

.Application July 18, 1938, Serial No. 219,725 (CL2-224) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in undergarments.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide anundergarment of the trunk type for men which will fit snugly around thewaist and hips of the wearer and which will furnish desirable support atthe crotch portion without sacrificing comfort.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garment of the classdescribed having a crotch section extending from the waistband at thefront of the garment to the waistband at the rear, wherein a fly openingis formed adjacent a side edge of said crotch section and wherein thereis an inner iiap associated with said fly opening which extends from theleg portion of the garment to the waistband to furnish, in conjunctionwith the crotch section, supporting strength beneath that portion of thegarment which is normally weakened by the fly opening, the major strainsbeing borne by said waistband.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garment as abovedescribed wherein said structure tends to normally maintain the ilyopening in a neat closed condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide an undergarment of thetype above described wherein the crotch section is of onepiececonstruction from the waistband at the front to the waistband at therear, to thereby eliminate seams and provide increased comfort for thewearer.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure as abovedescribed wherein said one piece crotch section has approximately thesame size and shape at the front and rear of the garment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garment as abovedescribed wherein the sides or body sections are formed of relativelystretchable body conforming fabric, particularly in a lateral direction,and wherein the crotch section is formed of stronger less stretchablematerial which is relatively inextensible in the vertical direction ofthe garment to furnish desired support.

A further object of the invention is to provide an undergarment which isrelatively inexpensive to manufacture, which is strong and durable, andwell adapted for the purpose described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of theimproved undergarment and all its parts and combinations as set forth inthe claims and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing in which the same reference numeralsdesignate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1' is a front view of the garment;

Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof;

Fig. 6; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 6.

Referring rst to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5inclusive, the numeral I0 designates a waistband which is preferablyformed of elastic material or elastic fabric. The crotch sectiondesignated generally by the numeral II and shown alone in Fig. 5 ispreferably formed of 1 x 1 ribbed material with the, 'ribs extendinglongitudinally so that the section is relatively inextensible in thevertical direction of the garment. The crotch section has side edges I2and I3 at the front of the garment which taper upwardly to a point shortof meeting at the waistband, the end I4 of said crotch section beingjoined to the waistband. The crotch section is of substantially similarshape and width at the rear of the garment as shown in Fig. 2 and hasside edges I5 and I6 which taper upwardly to the waistband, the end Ilbeing connected to said waistband at the rear of Ithe garment.

Body side sections I8 and I9 at the front of the garment have theirupper edges secured to the waistband as at 2li and 2i, and the sectionI9 has a side edge secured to the edge I2 of the crotch sectionthroughout the length of said edge. The section I8 is unsecured to theedge I3 of the crotch section for a'limited distance upwardly to thepoint 22, and from said point 22 yto the waistband, the section I8 issecured to the upper portion of the side I3 of the crotch section. Thisprovides a ily opening from the point 22 downwardly to the leg, and thefree edge of the crotch section adjacent said opening may be suitablyhemmed as at 23. Beneath the ily opening and secured to the edge of thebody section I8 throughout its length is a iiap 24 (see Fig. 3) which isformed from a section of material having the shape shown in Fig. 4, theedge portion 25 being doubled over to form the hem 26. The lower end ofthe flap 24 is secured within the hem 27 of the leg portion to a part ofthe material forming the crotch section II. The upper end of the flap 24is secured to the waistband as at 28 and to the opposite side of thecrotch section where the latter is joined to the opposite body portionas at 29. Thus this ap provides a reinforcement extending from thewaistband to the leg opening beneath the normally weakened fly openingpart of the garment, and the structure is further such that the hemmedflap 23 is normally maintained in a neat closed condition as shown inFig. l.

The sections I8 and I9 are preferably formed of Swiss rib knittedmaterial with the ribs extending vertically of the garment so thatsections are relatively elastic in a transverse direction to provide asnug flt around the hips of the wearer.

At the rear of the garment sections 30 and 3| of very similar shape tothe sections I 8 and I9 in front, and preferably formed of the samematerial, are secured at one side edge to the edges I5 and I6 of therear of the crotch section, and at opposite side edges to the adjacentedges of the frontl sections I8 and I9 as at 32 and 33. The lowerportions of the sections I8, I9, 30 and 3l and portions of the crotchsection cooperate to provide snug fitting leg openings.

In the 'form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive, the mainportion of the garment is formed in an identical manner to the form ofthe invention heretofore described, except that the sections of`material are varied slightly in shape to provide leg openings 3@ and 35which are cut upwardly more sharply than the leg openings of the formshown in Fig. l; and to the material adjacent said leg openings, tubularleg members 36 and 3l are secured, said leg members being preferablyformed of Swiss rib knitted material.

Inasmuch as the main portion of this garment is constructed in the samemanner as the garment of Fig. 1, it will not be again described, and

corresponding parts of the invention of Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive aredesignated by primed numerals corresponding to the numerals used forcorresponding parts in the principal form of the invention.

From the above it is apparent that a garment has been provided which canbe very economically manufactured and'whih will be snug fitting andcomfortable. It is further apparent that by using the one-piece crotchsection extending from the waistband at the front of the garment to thewaistband at the rear of the garment, 'that a very eicient supporterstructure is furnished. While the one-piece crotch structure is an'1mportant feature of the present invention and is comprehended incertain of the claims, it is obvious, however, that this crotch piecemay be formed of more than one piece, and as far as certain features ofthe novelty of the garment are concerned, it is contemplated that theinvention cover the use of a crotch section formed of either one or morepieces.

It is also apparent that a novel method of forming a fly opening hasbeen provided without sacrificing strength, because of the fact that theinner flap 24 extends from the leg opening entirely up to the waistbandso that all strains at this part of the garment and beneath the normallyweakened fly opening portion can be carried by said flap 24 which isstrongly supported by the waistband, and this same feature is .present iboth forms of the invention.

It is preferred that the angle of the fly opening be approximately 30degreesy or less for most efcient cooperation with this type ofstructure.

The crotch portion, as well as the ilap 24, are preferably formed of 1 xl rib material in double weight, or in lieu of the double weight, adouble thickness may be employed.

In the claims, the term leg`openings" contemplates either the openingsof Fig. 3 bounded by the hems 2l, or the openings of Fig. 6 bounded bythe seams 34 and 35.

Although only two forms of the invention have been shown and described,it is obvious that varlous changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and all of such changes arecontemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

l. In a trunk type of undergarment having leg openings and having awaistband, a crotch secl tion having a narrow upper end secured to thefront central portion of the waistband and extending downwardly at thefront of the garment, the side edges oi' said crotchsection in the frontof the garment diverging downwardly to points intermediate the front ofthe leg openings, body portions having side edges connected to saiddiverging side edges oi' said crotch section and having upperedgesconnected to the waistband and having lower edges terminating at the legopenings, the side edge of one of said body sections being unconnectedto the adjacent diverging side edge of the crotch section from anintermediate point down to a point intermediate the front of the legopening to provide a fly opening,

and said side of the body having its upper part above the fly openingconnected to said diverging edge of the crotch section, and a flapextending from said side edge of the body section throughout the lengthof said section and having its lower end secured to the garment at theleg opening and having its upper end secured to the waistband, said flapbeing overlappedby the adjacent edge of the crotch section and by thefree unconnected part thereof whereby said flap forms a reinforcementbeneath the weakened fly opening part of the garment and a connectionbetween the waist band and the leg opening.

2. In a trunk type of undergarment having leg openings and having awaistband, a crotch section having a narrow upper end secured to thefront central portion of the waistband and extending downwardly at thefront of the garment. the side edges of said crotch section in the frontof the garment diverging downwardly to points intermediate the front ofthe leg openings, body portions having side edges connected to saiddiverging'side edges of said crotch section and having upper edgesconnected to the waistband and having lower edges terminating at the legopenings, the side edge of one of said body sections being unconnectedto the adjacent diverging side edge of the crotch section from anintermediate point down to a point intermediate the front of the legopening to provideva ily opening, and said side of the body having itsupper part above the fly opening connected to said diverging edge of thecrotch section, said body portion being formed of material which isloosely knit and relatively stretchable, and a flap formed of closelyknit stronger material connected to said side edge of said body sectionthroughout its length and having its lower end secured to the garment atthe leg opening and its upper end secured to the waistband, said flapbeing overlapped by the adjacent edge of the crotch section and by thefree unconnected part thereof whereby said flap forms a reinforcementbeneath the weakened ily opening part of the garment and a relativelystrong connection between the waistband and the leg opening.

ERWIN F. RAUSER.

